LIFESAVER ANNOUNCES EXCLUSIVE RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP WITH NATIONAL GRAPHENE INSTITUTE

LifeSaver®,
a UK-based manufacturer of portable and reusable water filtration
systems, announces an exclusive contract with the National Graphene
Institute (NGI) at The University of Manchester.

The
18-month research project will focus on developing graphene
technology that can be used for enhanced water filtration, with the
goal of creating a patented, cutting-edge product capable of
eliminating an even wider range of hazardous contaminants than
currently removed by LifeSaver’s existing high-performance
ultra-filtration process.

Graphene
has emerged as something of a wonder material in recent years. It is
an ultra-thin single layer of graphite, the material used in pencil
lead. Considered the first two-dimensional material ever discovered,
it is also one of the strongest known natural materials in the world,
while retaining high levels of flexibility, conductivity and
filtration. By incorporating graphene into its existing
market-leading water purification technology, LifeSaver hopes to
reduce the sieve size of its hollow fibre filtration membrane from
the current 15 nanometres (which removes bacteria, microbial cysts
and viruses) to about 1-3 nanometres. At that size, LifeSaver
products could remove a much wider range of contaminants, such as
heavy metals, pesticides, certain chemicals and potentially even
nuclear radiation from drinking water supplies.

“The
partnership with NGI excites all of us at LifeSaver as it provides a
potential game changing opportunity in our patented technology
platform,” says Chris Marsden, Chairman at LifeSaver.

“This
in turn allows us to continue to provide leading edge technological
solutions to our key global humanitarian, military and retail
markets.”

When
LifeSaver approached the NGI in 2017, they were seen by NGI as a
strong Subject Matter Expert with which to partner in order to
develop and apply potential graphene applications in water
filtration. The team at NGI, which is the UK’s national centre for
graphene and two-dimensional materials research, seized the
opportunity, and a promising partnership was born.

“Making
a graphene-based portable water filter was our dream, and this
collaboration with LifeSaver will enable that dream to be a reality
sooner than later,” says Professor Rahul Nair, who will lead
the project at The University of Manchester.

“The
University of Manchester is the world leading centre for graphene
membrane development, and LifeSaver has the expertise in making a
portable water filter. This is a great example of a collaborative
project where we are trying to combine two independently developed
technologies into one, to enhance the quality and availability of
drinking water for those who need it most.”